The Cleveland Cavaliers have been one of the most surprising teams this NBA season and they have been playing great basketball, but injuries are starting to pile up for this team. Not only was Collin Sexton, the team’s best scorer, lost for the season in November after suffering a torn meniscus in his left knee, but now they are going to be without his veteran back-up who has been tremendous for Cleveland this season.
After leading by as many as 23 points on Tuesday night against the New Orleans Pelicans, the Cavaliers not only blew their lead and ended up losing this game, but they lost one of their key contributors as well in the final minutes of the game.
With 2:20 left in the fourth quarter and trailing by two points, Ricky Rubio looked to drive to the rim, but he seemed to suffer some kind of a non-contact left leg injury after jump-stopping in the lane.
Immediately grabbing at his left knee, Rubio had to be helped to the locker room and it was later revealed that the veteran point guard had suffered a torn ACL, the same injury he suffered in his left knee in 2012.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Overcoming Ricky Rubio Injury Will Not Be Easy For Cavaliers
Not only has Rubio stepped up in the absence of Collin Sexton, but he was having a career-year in Cleveland, averaging 13.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 6.6 assists, 1.4 steals and shooting 36.3% from the floor.
Now, without both Collin Sexton and Ricky Rubio, a tremendous amount of weight falls on the shoulders of third-year guard Darius Garland, who has been having a fantastic, All-Star-like season for the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, Garland is not going to be able to lead this backcourt by himself.
28-year-old point guard Kevin Pangos is expected to see his role increase with Cleveland, but now more than ever, the Cavaliers could be desperate in their search for more backcourt help. Many thought the Cavs would continue rebuilding this season, but they are currently 20-14 on the season, holding the 5-seed in the Eastern Conference at the moment.
With Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen and Lauri Markkanen, the Cavaliers can still be a real threat in the Eastern Conference, but replacing the lost production of both Sexton and now Rubio is not going to be an easy thing for this franchise to do.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Overcoming Ricky Rubio Injury Will Not Be Easy For Cavaliers
With this said, let’s take a look at three guard options Cleveland could pursue given all of their injuries.
